Kevin Lynch

Hi, my name is Kevin Lynch. I’m currently doing a research job in UCD. I did my first course in 1998, in March in Dublin, which was led by Dave McGuire.

I was in my late teens when I joined the programme. My stammer was moderate to bad and overt.

I had tried a number of other therapies, such as one based on building my speech up from very slow reading (which helped temporarily) and hypnotherapy (which didn’t help at all).

At the time before my first course, I felt very oppressed by my stammer and had retreated from the world. I even thought about learning sign language and trying to get some job relating to that, to finally be able to communicate without anxiety.

After my first course, there was a significant improvement in my speech and that only grew as the months went on and I did some refresher courses.

The technique and the programme eventually gave me many years of fluency or near fluency, and for that, I’m very grateful.

It also allowed me to do things I’m sure I wouldn’t have done otherwise, such as teaching, public speaking, and living abroad. I experienced some relapses over that period also, and I now know that I must always keep working on my speech and remain vigilant, but that I have the means to control my stammer.

I think very highly of the McGuire Programme: its holistic approach and its depth, its extensive support network and its comradery, and I’m proud to be a part of it.